Posted tagged ‘cooking’

As much as I love autumn and winter, and all the soups, casseroles, breads, and other goodies I cook then, I do very much appreciate preparing summertime meals. Especially when the RA is kicking my butt and I don’t feel up to doing a lot in the kitchen!

Tonight, for example, we’re having Schwan’s frozen ribs cooked out on the grill. I’ll be dousing them with BBQ sauce, wrapping the whole thing up in some nonstick foil to make a big packet, and then “cooking” them outside in an effort to not heat the house up on such a warm day. On the side, we’ll be having coleslaw and potato salad (both from Aldi), and some watermelon I cut into chunks yesterday.

I used to feel vaguely guilty about using convenience foods like store-bought coleslaw and potato salad, or frozen ribs. But ya know what? I don’t feel that way anymore. None of those things are truly egregious foods, and they’re miles better for us than getting some fast food burgers and fries. (Although I do love me some fries. I just don’t allow myself to have them more than a few times a year. 😉 ) I look at it this way — when I’m having a lot of pain and difficulty walking/moving, there’s no shame in using whatever shortcuts are available to me to help make it easier for me to prepare a decent meal for my family. On good days, I’ll make my own salads and other dishes from scratch. I have some coleslaw recipes I really love, for example. But on days when things are more difficult, I can find ready-made foods that will still provide us with good veggies and meats, and can add some fresh fruit, and there ya go!